1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to the field of surface-mounted light fixtures and particularly to light fixtures comprised of components that can be snapped together or onto their mounts for easy and cost-effective assembly/disassembly.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Surface-mounted light fixtures are particularly useful in applications where space is limited and easy access to the components of the fixture is desired, as within the interior of a recreational or other vehicle. Typically, the components of the light fixture are permanently or semi-permanently attached to each other, making assembly/disassembly difficult or even impossible.
In general, such light fixtures have a housing with a relatively flat backside, a light-emitting element such as a bulb, a holder or mount for the bulb, one or more operator switches, a lens for protection and light dispersion, and fasteners to mount the components or to secure them to one another. The housing typically has a detachable back plate that may have a reflective surface to disperse the light generated by the bulb. Further, to affix the light fixture to a target surface, the housing usually has a series of mounting receptacles that accommodate fasteners for installation. In some of these fixtures, the bulb, the switch, the bulb mount, and the lens have a snap-fit relationship with the housing, i.e., no separate mechanical fastening element is necessary.
One known type of light fixture having components that are snapped together has a housing made of a molded polymeric material that is adapted to accommodate a lens likewise made from a molded polymeric material and appropriately sized to fit the housing. Further, the lens has a series of tabs sized to engage openings around the rim of the housing for securing the lens to the housing. In this fixture, the lens and the tabs molded thereto are essentially rigid, thus making the lens susceptible to breakage when it is assembled/disassembled. Also, further adding to its complexity, the bulb of this fixture is mounted to a bracket that is secured with a fastener, e.g., a screw and a nut, to an independent and removable back plate. The back plate is made entirely from metal, thus providing a reflective surface for light dispersion and the housing has mounting receptacles molded integrally thereto for supporting the back plate and securing the light fixture to a target surface. However, because the metal back plate merely rests on the mounting receptacles when it is secured to the target surface, the light fixture is susceptible to rattling; obviously, an undesirable feature considering the contemplated use of the light fixture in a recreational vehicle. In addition, this light fixture does not include a separate switch to activate the bulb, thus further limiting its versatility.
In another type of light fixture having components that are snapped together, the fixture has a housing made from a polymeric material that is adapted to accommodate a lens. The lens is likewise made from a polymeric material and has a series of tabs around its lower edge for engaging corresponding openings in the rim of the housing. Further, to aid assembly/disassembly of the fixture, the lens is made slightly flexible so that it may be readily snapped to the housing. However, the lens has a separate rim that extends along the outer peripheral edge of one end of the lens that must be fed into a groove in the housing in sliding fashion, thus making assembly/disassembly difficult. This is a particular problem during initial assembly of the light fixture when it is important to assemble a great number of units in a short amount of time, e.g., along a high-volume assembly line. In addition, similar to other known light fixtures, this fixture has a metal back plate that is connected to the housing with a separate fastener. The back plate also has a separate structure for permanently securing the bulb mounting bracket to the back plate with a fastener and, although it is metal, it does not contain a reflective surface to disperse the light. This fixture does incorporate a switch but, overall, it is difficult to assemble, contains a bulky metal back plate that is non-reflective, and must be separately secured to the housing with a fastener.
Therefore, a light fixture is desired that has a self-contained housing adapted to retain only snap-in type components for easy assembly/disassembly. In particular, the housing should accommodate a snap-in type lens, a snap-in type switch, a snap-in type bracket for mounting the light-emitting element, and a snap-in type reflective plate for attachment directly to a portion of the self-contained housing, i.e., without a separate back plate. Such a system will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and designed for relatively easy manual assembly along a high-volume assembly line. Further, when assembled, the mounting integrity and interconnection of the mechanical components in the system should not be compromised by jarring motion of the fixture when it is used in a vibrating environment.